Category: cfp

My colleague Charalambos Vrasidas and I are editing a special issue for Educational Media International focusing on learner experiences in massive open online courses. We are interested in empirical and theoretical manuscripts as well as systematic reviews/analyses/syntheses of the literature. Preliminary abstracts are due by December 19th. We have planned for the process to be prompt and aim for the issue to be published within 8 months or so.

As part of the special issue, and prompted by a note by Al Filreis, we have decided to include a section that enables individual learners to tell their own stories about their experiences with MOOCs. If you have taken an open course and would like to write a short piece about an aspect of your experience, this section of the special issue would be relevant to you. Like all other submissions, these will be peer-reviewed as well.

Individuals interested in this route can submit a 200-word abstract summarizing their intended submission and a 200-word bio by the 19th of December to moocs@cardet.org.

Invitations to submit full papers will be send on or before January 9, 2014. Manuscripts should be formatted using APA style and should be 1,200 words long, including references. The process to be followed thereafter is as follows:

Update #1: This special issue will include an “experiences from the trenches” section for individual learners to tell their own stories about their experiences with MOOCs. You can find the requirements for those papers here.

While during 2011-2012 the mass media were largely exuberant about MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), claiming that these courses will revolutionize and democratize access to education, in 2013-2014 anti-MOOC sentiment rose amidst concerns pertaining to completion rates, sustainable business models, and pedagogical effectiveness. Heated debates on the status quo and future of higher education have ensued since then, and even though there is “no shortage of prophecies about [MOOC’s] potential impact” (Breslow et al., 2013, pp. 23), the academic community has yet to develop an in-depth understanding of learner experiences in MOOCs. The aim of the special issue is to add to our understanding of learner experiences in MOOCs by providing answers to the question: What is it like to learn and participate in MOOCs?

Learner experiences arise from the ways learners interact with and respond to content, activities, instructional methods, instructors, and the context within which learning and instruction happen (Parrish, 2005). At a time when researchers and online learning providers are embracing the use of learning analytics and big data to examine learner behaviors, activities, and actions, very few researchers have sought to gain a deep, qualitative, and multidimensional understanding of learner experiences with open forms of learning. A nuanced appreciation of how users experience open learning, including the successes and obstacles they face, will assist learning designers, researchers, and providers in making greater sense of the open course phenomenon as well as enable them to improve open online learning.

This CFP arises has its foundations on a 2013 call in which Veletsianos argued that “we only have small pieces of an incomplete mosaic of students’ learning experiences with open online learning” (Veletsianos, 2013). While there’s been an expansive amount of research on MOOCs, the existing literature predominantly focuses on learner behaviors and practices, while investigations of learners’ lived experiences are largely absent (Adams et al., 2014). The availability of large-scale data sets also appears to have shaped the research questions that are being asked about MOOCs, and, while significant insights are developed via that research route, the field will benefit tremendously by gaining a better understanding and appreciation of learners’ experiences.

To address these issues and to support the development of the field, we invite authors to submit manuscripts investigating the learner experience in massive open online courses. Manuscripts can be of three types:

Empirical. Such manuscripts should follow rigor guidelines appropriate for the research methods used.

Systematic reviews of the literature and literature meta-syntheses.

Theoretical manuscripts, contributing to the development of theory pertaining to learner experiences in open courses.

We are interested in hosting a forum for leading edge contributions to the nascent field that help us make sense of learner experiences, and allow practitioners and researchers to benefit from these contributions. Towards this aim, recommended topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to, the following research questions:

What is it like to learn in massive open online courses?

What are learners’ experiences in open courses?

Why are learners participating in open courses in the ways that they do?

What are learner-learner and learner-instructor interactions like?

How do learners respond to various instructional design decisions and instructor roles?

How do learners perceive their relationships with each other, content, instructors, institutions, and MOOC providers?

Submission Process

Interested authors should submit 500-word abstracts and 200-word bios by December 19 at moocs@cardet.org. Submissions should include short descriptions of the following:

Identified gap/problem addressed

Methods or modes of inquiry

Data sources

(in-progress or final) results

Invitations to submit full papers will be send on or before January 9, 2014. Manuscripts should be formatted using APA style and should be 6,000 words, including references. The process to be followed thereafter is as follows:

Please consider submitting your proposal to the Research and Theory Division. The Research and Theory division promotes the development and advancement of theory; promotes, presents, and disseminates rigorous research and scholarship; advocates the study of social and cultural issues in the field; and supports, fosters, and mentors emerging scholars. Any studies that embody excellent research methods in any area of interest to AECT members could be appropriate for submission to division. Topics such as the relationship between research and theory, innovative research methods, ethical considerations in research, challenges associated with conducting research with data from web-based sources, and the position of Educational Technology as a field in the context of related fields such as the Learning Sciences, Cognitive Science, Psychology, etc., might be of particular interest to R&T division members.

We continue to encourage authors to submit their work in the following categories:

Category 1: Completed Study
Report findings from a study that is complete.

Category 2: Work in Progress
Report the progress of a study currently underway (e.g., as a Reflection Paper Session).

Category 3: Research Methodology
Report innovative research methodologies in the field.

Category 4: Theory
Report on theory pertinent to the field.

The following slides provide more information on submitting a proposal to the Research and Theory Division/

The late 1990s saw the emergence of e-Learning. Many schools and institutions have embarked on campus-wide initiatives that comprised content-driven and technology-enhanced pedagogy until the advent of Web 2.0. Now, however, the educational model is undergoing a complete change of approach and both the blended learning model and participative learning have become more possible and meaningful, especially when combined with the changing profile of Gen Y students.

The conference theme ‘we-Learning: Content, Community and Collaboration’ recognises these pervasive and rapid changes that are having a profound impact on education and society. Education at all levels plays a central role in shaping the way these changes affect the economy, society and a new generation of knowledge workers. Knowledge and content are now a touch away and the new classroom has no physical boundaries. People and resources are linked across borders allowing for new types of collaboration. What does this mean for learning and teaching in tertiary education? This conference explores the paradigm shift from e-Learning to we-Learning, and the broad consequences for education in a changing world.

Topics of interest to this international event include, but are not limited to the following:
· Social and Collaborative Learning
· Participative Learning
· Integrative Learning with Technology
· Learning Design (Theory and Practice)
· Games and gamification in education and training
· Borderless mobile learning
· Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs)
· Social media and learning
· Distance education and Web 2.0
· Educational media
· New media, new literacies
· Research and evaluation methods in educational technology
· Professional development, teacher education and lifelong learning
· Social media and learning
· Creative learning and teaching models
· New learning spaces and technology
· Changing conditions of higher education
We encourage the submission of a variety of papers and works including but not limited to position papers, empirical research, case studies, classroom implementations, case studies with applications of educational technology, theoretical discussions, and critical reviews of literature.

Abstract Submission Guidelines
The abstract should include a brief introduction, research questions, research design and methods, and (expected) results in no more than 500 words (approximately 1-2 pages, single spaced).

I don’t think I’ve come across as many interesting special issue call for proposals at the same time. In case you are interested, here are some that are worthwhile and current:

Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) special issue on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): http://t.co/wj0J6RpD (pdf). Edited by George Siemens, Valerie Irvine, and Jillianne Code. Closed on the 15th, but deadline extended until the 19th.

This is a call for chapter proposals for the The International Handbook of E-learning

Significant development in E-learning over the past decade has tremendous implications for educational and training practices in the information society. With the advent of the Internet and online learning methodologies and technologies, meaningful E-learning has increasingly become more and more accepted in workplace. Academic institutions, corporations, and government agencies worldwide have been increasingly using the Internet and digital technologies to deliver instruction and training. At all levels of these organizations, individuals are being encouraged to participate in online learning activities. Since 1990, the field of E-learning enjoyed exponential growth and recognition. However, many communities around the world are still in the process of implementing E-learning. There is a tremendous need to share knowledge of e-learning and to compile what works and what does not. The purpose of the handbook is to provide a comprehensive compendium of research and practice in all aspects of E-learning. Below is a list of suggested themes and the timelines. The potential publisher of the handbook is Athabasca University Press, Canada.

Authors are invited to submit proposals that cover a variety of fields related to e-learning. Some themes are suggested below but you are not limited by the themes listed. We invite contributions from researchers, practitioners, professors, teachers, trainers, and administrators. Please submit a one page outline of the chapter you would like to write for the book.

Suggested themes of the chapters

Possible areas to be addressed by the chapters include but are not limited to the following.

• Historical perspectives of E-learning
• Theoretical foundations for E-learning
• A model for developing E-learning
• Evaluation of E-learning
• Learner support for E-learning
• Learner interaction in E-learning
• Open and Distributed Learning
• Strategies for transition to E- learning
• Instructional design for E-learning
• Interface design for E-learning
• Managing E-learning implementation
• Emerging technologies for E-learning
• Ethical considerations in E-learning
• Standards for developing E-learning
• Preparing faculty and learners for E-learning
• Policy and Practice in E-learning
• Blended Learning
• Mobile Learning
• World of Games and Play
• Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Environment
• Use of social media in E-learning
• E-learning best practices around the world
• Future of E-learning
• Other topics related to E-learning

This is the November 2011 call for papers for a Special Issue of Research in Learning Technology, the Journal of the Association for Learning Technology (Volume 20, Number 4).

*Disclaimer: I am on the Journal’s Editorial Board

Guest Editors

Jane Seale, Professor of Education, Plymouth University, UK

William Dutton, Professor of Internet Studies, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK

Deadlines

Abstracts can be submitted to Jane Seale for informal feedback until 1 March 2012.

Papers should be submitted via the online submission system by 1 May 2012. The new online submission system will open in January 2012 and further information is available here.

The Special Issue will be published in autumn 2012.

Call Summary

Digital inequities relating to socioeconomic status, income, level of education, ethnicity, gender, age, connectivity and geography are still affecting levels of access to technology for all kinds of people. Digital inclusion research therefore has a role to play in providing explanations and solutions to these inequities. This call for papers on digital inclusion and learning aims to sharpen our focus on what is known and unknown about digital inclusion in the context of learning, learners and education. Our conceptualisation of digital inclusion encompasses a wide range of technologies, learners and learning contexts.

We are seeking articles that can inform digital inclusion practice, policy or research. A variety of papers will be considered, including empirical, review and discussion papers. Of particular interest are papers that offer conceptual, methodological and analytical rigour. We welcome papers that are multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary in nature. No particular method or theory will be privileged in this special issue, but we do expect all accepted papers to critically engage with the complexity of the concept of digital inclusion. In particular, we welcome papers that seek to challenge common assumptions or widely accepted positions in the field of digital inclusion.

Call Detail

Research in the field of digital inclusion, particularly that which has focused on documenting the “digital divide”, has probably done a good job at increasing understanding of differences and inequities. Both large scale and small scale surveys have shown continuing demographic gaps with socioeconomic status, income, level of education, ethnicity, gender, age, connectivity and geography all consistently found to affect levels of access to technology. There is little basis, therefore, for being complacent about digital inequalities. Whilst we know that inequities exist, there are a number of things we still do not know much about and to which future digital inclusion research could usefully contribute. A number of research challenges exist including:

developing a conceptual framework that broadens our understanding of the complexity of digital exclusion and captures a wide range of inclusion-related opportunities, processes and outcomes;

developing methods that enable us to directly capture and get to the heart of the experience of the digitally excluded/included;

learning from existing individual and collective digital inclusion practice(s) in order to understand why sometimes technology related opportunities are not taken up, or inclusion outcomes don’t change.

These challenges will require digital inclusion research to elicit new data; to find new ways of getting this data or to aggregate data that already exists; and to do something useful with the data once it has been obtained. To meet these challenges, digital inclusion research will need to jump two hurdles. The first hurdle is that of being bold enough to step outside of current traditions in digital divide/inclusion research, if required, in order to collect and analyse data in different ways and consequently transform understanding. The second hurdle is that of being sufficiently robust and systematic in order to provide the necessary evidence of success (or failure) that persuades relevant key stakeholders to take transformative action.

These challenges are particularly pertinent for digital inclusion researchers working in learning and education contexts. The role for formal or informal learning in promoting digital inclusion could be described as essentially one of increasing the social capital of the digitally excluded; where social capital is understood as access, ability to use and desire to use technology. This role is not unproblematic and consideration of the role education might play raises important questions about whether education is reaching or can reach all those digitally excluded learners that “need” to be reached; how education can help learners make informed choices about technology access and use, including the choice to be digitally disengaged and the extent to which educating the digitally excluded leads to both genuine digital and social inclusion.

This call for papers on digital inclusion and learning aims to sharpen our focus on what is known and unknown about digital inclusion in the context of learning, learners and education. For the purpose of this special issue we are scoping digital inclusion in the following ways:

Technologies

We are interested in articles that focus on any kind of technology that assists learning in some way, for example: the Internet and the plethora of free content-services to which it provides access; VLEs; games; mobile and personal technologies; assistive technologies and social networking technologies. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

To what extent do we need to design and develop new technologies capable of enhancing the digital inclusion of learners, or do we simply need to use current technologies in more creative and adaptive ways?

How do technologies mediate a learners’ relationship with their learning environments and wider society?

What prevents learners from accessing and using technologies in ways that might contribute to inclusive learning experiences?

Learners

We are interested in articles that address the learning experiences and opportunities of adults, children or young people with a specific focus on any individuals, groups or communities that are considered to be disadvantaged or marginalized in some way; where technologies might play a role in promoting inclusion. In education, digital inclusion is often talked about in the context of disability; but we are keen to expand discussions to other equally important, but perhaps less visible or acknowledged learners, for example looked after children, prisoners, travellers or those living in areas where power and connectivity present significant barriers. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

Who should the recipients of digital inclusion focused education programmes be?

Do we know which learners are more or less likely to be digitally excluded in educational contexts? There is a lot of data about digitally excluded people in the wider society, is there equivalent data in educational contexts? What does this information tell us and what is missing?

Can education reach all those digitally excluded learners that “need” to be reached?

Learning and education

We are interested in articles that focus on either formal or informal learning; accredited or unaccredited learning in a variety of settings and contexts for example: schools, colleges, universities, libraries, community centres, hospitals, Internet cafes and homes. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

To what extent can educating the digitally excluded lead to both genuine digital and social inclusion?

Can education truly enable learners to take matters into their own hands and exert control and choice over their technology use?

How can education systems and educators influence desire to use technology in those identified as non-users?

How do we avoid a new digital divide between people who have the power to manipulate their learning and those who, because they do not understand the potential of technology supported learning, cannot?

Are there limits or boundaries with regards to our commitment to transform the learning places and spaces where digital exclusion exists?

Research

We are interested in articles that seek to advance digital inclusion research in two very specific ways: Firstly in terms of describing and evaluating new methodologies for researching the value and impact of technologies on the learning lives and experiences of disadvantaged learners. Secondly in terms of contributing to a richer and more developed theorisation of digital inclusion in the context of learning and education; which offers fuller insights into why and how learners are digitally excluded and why some digital inclusion projects and practices are more successful than others. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

Are the current methods and theories employed by digital inclusion researchers sufficiently rigorous and creative to enable new insights and knowledge to be gained about how to reduce the digital exclusion of learners?

In order to embrace the complexity of the experience and impact of digital exclusion on learners, will digital inclusion researchers be required to develop a different more reflexive and dialogic relationship with learners and teachers?

Policy

We are interested in articles that examine how digital inclusion related policies, laws, standards and guidelines influence and inform practice in learning contexts or evaluate the extent to which digital inclusion research informs the policy making decisions of funders and other key stakeholders. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

Is digital inclusion related policy sufficiently long-sighted, flexible or creative to enable or support genuine and meaningful transformation for learners?

To what extent are the aims and goals of digital inclusion policy at conflict with the aims and goals of those learners identified as “at risk” of digital exclusion?

Practice

We are interested in articles that seek to engage with the question of whether it is possible or desirable to identify “best practice” with regards to digital inclusion and the extent to which that practice can be meaningfully evaluated to provide evidence for “successful” outcomes. Potential questions include, but are not limited to:

Is it helpful for practitioners (e.g. teachers, youth workers; social care staff) to be given digital inclusion guidelines and recommendations?

How can practitioners prove that their use of technologies with learners has had a beneficial outcome in ways that are meaningful to learners and sensitive to the contexts in which technologies are being employed?

In what ways can we usefully learn about/from the existing practices of users/learners?

What is the best way to develop and support the digital inclusion practice of teachers particularly in relation to taking risks and tolerating occasional failures?

Do the different digital inclusion practices that exist have to be aligned or reconciled, if so, how might this be achieved?

Does the search for “best” digital inclusion practice merely create new divides or divisions?

Types of papers

A variety of papers will be considered, including empirical, review and discussion papers. Of particular interest are papers that offer conceptual, methodological and analytical rigour; and make a contribution to knowledge in one of the following ways:

Provide unique insights into the impact of technologies on the learning lives and experiences of disadvantaged or marginalised individuals, groups or communities;

Describe and evaluate digital inclusion experiences or practices, informed by a particular methodological or theoretical approach;

Contribute to debates about the best or most meaningful outcomes to use to demonstrate to a range of stakeholders that inclusive technologies have had a positive impact;

Describe and evaluate the design, development and implementation of new inclusive technologies;

Critique the role of theory in digital inclusion research, policy or practice;

Critically review current digital inclusion research, policy or practice literature and identify gaps in knowledge or areas that are weak and need further development in terms of evidence, methods or theory.

The digital inclusion and learning field is both multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary and we welcome therefore papers that represent the range of cognate disciplines, for example education; psychology, sociology, computer science; media studies; social policy, library and information sciences; law and economics. No particular method or theory will be privileged in this special issue, but we do expect all accepted papers to critically engage with the complexity of the concept of digital inclusion. In particular, we welcome papers that seek to challenge common assumptions or widely accepted positions in the field of digital inclusion.

About the Guest Editors

Jane Seale is Professor of Education at Plymouth University. She has undertaken a number of key national co-ordination and leadership roles in the field of e-learning and research including President of the Association for Learning Technology and Co-Director of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods. Jane’s research operates at the intersection of education, technology and disability and she has over 20 years of experience examining the role of technology in promoting inclusion, particularly for those with learning disabilities. Her 2006 book “E-learning and Disability in Higher Education: Accessibility Research and Practice” is in over 450 libraries world-wide. Currently Jane is convenor of the TLRP Technology Enhanced Learning Digital Inclusion Forum and has produced a commentary which reviews current digital inclusion research and practice literature.

William Dutton is Professor of Internet Studies at the Oxford Internet Institute, Universityof Oxford, Fellow of Balliol College, and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Southern California. In the UK, he was a Fulbright Scholar 1986-87, was National Director of the UK’s Programme on Information and Communication Technologies (PICT) from 1993 to 1996, and founding director of the OII during its first decade, for which he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Professor Dutton is Principal Investigator of the Oxford e-Social Science Project (OeSS), supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, and Principal Investigator of the Oxford Internet Surveys (OxIS), a key resource on the use and impact of the Internet in Britain, that is one component of the World Internet Project, an international collaboration comprising over 20 nations. His concept of the ‘Fifth Estate’ has created a new research project and a book in progress. His service includes chairing the Advisory Committee for Englandof the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom), and participating on the Innovation Committee of NHS Direct.

Submission and review process

The submission of abstracts for informal feedback is encouraged. They can be sent directly to Jane Seale until 1 March 2012.

Full papers must be submitted according to the journal’s Instructions for Authors.

Papers should be submitted via the online submission system by 1 May 2012.

Papers received will undergo double blind peer review and authors will receive feedback and where appropriate, an opportunity to revise their paper. An additional round of reviewing is sometimes used to encourage authors to improve their paper, either for this special issue, or a subsequent issue of Research in Learning Technology.

For other queries and guidance relating to the call please contact the Special Issue Editors:

Deadlines
Abstracts can be submitted to either of the guest editors for informal feedback until 1 December 2010.
Papers should be submitted via the Manuscript Central online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/calt before 31 January 2011.

The call
This call for papers on theoretical approaches in digitally-mediated environments aims to investigate and develop the conceptualisation of theory in the field of learning technology. Theory can be contrasted with practice and is often associated with the particular forms of research given value by higher education institutions. Technology is constantly changing and yet theory aims to stabilise and order change so that a degree of permanence is introduced into this sea of change.
In this special issue, we wish to attract papers which consider theory from a wide range of perspectives including the relationship of theory with practice, with empirical research, and with both traditional forms of scholarship and newer claims for digital scholarship. Questions for consideration include the following: How can practice inform theory? How can theory help to design, choose and use technology appropriately? How does empirical research inform theory? What is the role of theory in the development of empirical research? How is technology changing our relationship to knowledge? We are also interested in receiving papers that consider the ways in which changes in technology can drive an atheoretical chase for the novel and the new.

Research and scholarship in learning technology are most commonly served by the disciplines of psychology, sociology and philosophy. Psychology has had a central position because it has provided theories of learning and theorists who have proved important to the field (e.g. Piaget and Bruner). More recently, social theories of learning with roots in sociology and anthropology have provided an important challenge and complement to psychologically-based theories (e.g. Engeström, Lave and Wenger). Furthermore, alongside theoretical approaches to understanding learning, theory has also considered the roles of context, such as generational, societal, political and intercultural differences.

How well do current theories serve the field? Are existing theoretical approaches robust, even as the technology changes rapidly? How do new areas of research affect the work we do? We are interested both in papers that use existing theoretical approaches and those which develop new approaches from diverse fields to underpin and inform the study of learning technology.

The Boyer Commission suggested there are four types of scholarship: discovery, application, integration and teaching with the first being most closely aligned with traditional notions of research. In a field which has a practical and applied focus, what is the role of theory in the scholarships of application and integration, bearing in mind, that such forms of scholarship are not one way? The process of applying knowledge to specific problems gives rise to new understanding and can in itself define a research agenda. We are interested in papers which explore the relationship between theory and scholarship, including new forms of digital scholarship in our field. Indeed, the field of learning technology also needs to engage with new ways of conducting and sharing research.
The aim in this special issue is to bring together popular and less known theoretical approaches and assess their value to the study of learning technology. We see clearly articulated theoretical frameworks as essential to the study of learning technology and the further advancement of the field. We hope that this issue will acknowledge and bring together researchers from diverse fields of specialization and guide their future research. In particular, the papers in this issue should demonstrate how a consideration of theory can contribute to a better understanding of the nature of the problems we face, deepen knowledge to be shared across contexts, contribute to methods of investigating emerging technology, and ultimately improve both policy and practice.

Types of papers
With these issues as a springboard, we welcome papers in a variety of formats including:

considerations of the general role of theory in learning technology;

considerations of particular theories and their contributions to learning technology;

critiques of the role of theory in learning technology policy, practice or research; or

About the Guest Editors
Chris Jones is a Reader in the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University (UK). He is co-editor of the books Analysing Networked Learning Practices in Higher Education and Continuing Professional Development and Networked Learning: Perspectives and Issues. He has recently completed a two-year research council funded project The Net Generation encounter e-learning at university and co-edited with Laura Czerniewicz a recent edition of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning on the same subject.
Laura Czerniewicz is an Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Educational Technology at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She has an interest in the epistemological nature of the field itself. For the past seven years she has lead a multi-phased project on digitally-mediated student practices, and has co-published widely on the project findings. Theoretically she has found Bourdieu, Bernstein and Archer useful to frame her research investigations.

Submission process and timetable
The submission of abstracts for informal feedback is encouraged. They can be sent directly to guest editors until 1 December 2010.
Full papers must be submitted according to the journal’s Instructions for Authors.
Papers should be submitted via the Manuscript Central online submission system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/calt before 31 January 2011.
Papers received will undergo peer review and authors will receive feedback and where appropriate, an opportunity to revise their paper. An additional round of reviewing is sometimes used to encourage authors to improve their paper, either for this special issue, or a subsequent issue of Research in Learning Technology.